


The Beginning Of The End

by 108_Stars



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Choose Your Own Adventure, Halloween, Horror, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27473431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/108_Stars/pseuds/108_Stars
Summary: As Felix and Dimitri search the cluttered mansion room for suitable Halloween costumes, they begin to sense that not everything is quite right.Will they manage to survive the evening? Or will they fall victim to a long forgotten curse? It's up to you!(Written for Dimilix Spiderweb: a Collaborative Halloween Event)
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13
Collections: Dimilix Spiderweb 2020





	The Beginning Of The End

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of the Horror Path for Dimilix Spiderweb! The intro segment can be found [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27461230), start there and then pop back here if you haven't already read it. If you'd prefer to play the game, you can find downloadable and browser versions [here!](https://dimilixweb.itch.io/spiderweb2020)
> 
> Please check out Oliver's [amazing art](https://twitter.com/nikobynight/status/1324105389919604737) for this segment. I'm still not over it.
> 
> Finally, a big thank you to everyone who organised and participated in this project, it was wonderful to see everyone's hard work pay off <3

Dimitri looks over to see Felix frantically collecting just about anything he can get his hands on. Wigs, props, _was that a corset?_ It looks slightly ridiculous, but Dimitri can’t fault his idea; it will be easier to work out an outfit without having to run in and out of the changing rooms. He follows Felix’s lead, collecting any items that might work for a costume. 

They shuffle into a couple of makeshift changing rooms in the corner, both trying not to drop anything from the pile. Dimitri can hear Felix rummaging through the eclectic mix of costume pieces he’d collected. Clothes hit the side of the stall as Felix grumbles to himself in a voice just too quiet for Dimitri to discern anything. 

He supposes he should look at what he’s collected too, though he can’t say he’s overly enthusiastic about it. The pirate costume was nothing special, but it was comfortable. The lace on the costumes in the pile seems scratchy, the material far too fragile. He’d rather not destroy anything by accident.

"What?"

Dimitri hears the curtain to Felix’s stall being ripped back, the metal rings clanking against the curtain pole. 

"Felix? Is everything alright?" Dimitri opens his curtain, far more carefully than his companion. 

"Is this your idea of a joke? Murmuring about betrayal through the walls and then denying it? I thought better of you."

Felix seems almost shaken, though Dimitri doesn’t have long to ponder it, not when he’s bewildered enough himself. 

"I said nothing of the sort, I swear it. Perhaps this is another of Claude’s jokes, he is quite good at them."

Felix doesn’t seem too convinced, though Dimitri can’t fault him. He hardly believes his own words, any comfort gained from them tempered by a level of confusion. 

Silence falls over the room, the only sound the faint buzz of music and chatter from outside. The moonlight casts an eerie glow over the floor, flooding in from the tall oval windows. There’s marks on the floor, out of place with the polished appearance of the house; Dimitri can’t help but walk towards them, his curiosity piqued. 

_Scratches_ , as if made by some great beast. The lines have torn through the varnished wood, revealing pale boards underneath, barely visible in the low light. Dimitri brushes a fingertip across them, flinching as he catches on a splinter. It’s difficult to comprehend what kind of a creature could have made such a thing; a lion perhaps? A bear? Perhaps Claude’s ancestors were eccentric enough to keep wild animals in their house. He makes a note to ask. 

There’s no time to think about it further. From the next room comes an unholy scream—animalistic and hoarse and horribly familiar. _Felix._ Dimitri scrambles to his feet, all thoughts of the floor gone from his mind as he races towards the door. He—

"Trying to leave already?"

There’s a hand on his arm, pulling him back. He turns and tries to shake off whatever creature has materialised only to find Felix there, looking almost offended. 

"There was a scream." Felix’s face flashes with confusion for a moment, before returning to an irritated glare. "Felix, I promise. I would not lie to you."

"Fine. You heard something." Felix’s voice quivers, betraying the unbothered demeanour he’s attempting to project. Dimitri can hardly fault him, not when he, too, is a panicked mess of uncertainty and concern. "Let’s go back to the others. If Claude really wants us in costumes he can help pick them himself."

Dimitri hears his words, but he doesn’t acknowledge them. His mind is still caught up in everything that has occurred since the two of them set foot in this room. A creeping dread begins to spread through his body—his feet seem stuck to the floor, his legs like lead. His ears still ring with the scream he _knows_ he heard. It was real. It has to be real. 

And what of the claw marks? What if there were some great beast in the mansion? Some unspeakable creature that made its home here centuries ago, only now disturbed by their gathering? 

"Felix I… I regret to say that the significance of the date may have got to me. I find myself—"

"You’re scared because it’s Halloween and it’s dark?" Felix huffs, but Dimitri can’t miss the fond smile that appears for a second. "Fine, whatever. Let’s go."

Before Dimitri can react, he finds his hand being taken. It’s rough—Felix’s hands are covered in cuts and scrapes from whatever martial art it is that he does—but the feeling still makes Dimitri’s heart begin to race. He feels his cheeks run hot and says a mental thank you to Claude for not turning the lights on, if only so that Felix can’t see how flustered he’s become. 

"It’s so we don’t lose each other. Even if this is just Claude playing a twisted prank, I don’t want you hiding scared in some dusty bedroom, okay?"

"Practical as ever. Thank you for your care, Felix."

A _humph_ is the only reply Dimitri gets before Felix begins to drag him towards the door. It’s hard not to notice how tightly Felix is holding onto him; if Dimitri were a weaker man, it would probably hurt. It doesn’t, in fact the feeling is almost comforting, distracting him from the dark corridor and the pictures that stare back at him from every angle. They seem to be calling to him to look at them, to focus only on them and nothing else.

"The staircase is at the end. That should lead us to the front door and back to the others. We—" 

They jolt to a stop. Dimitri’s eyes glance away from the paintings for a moment and the spell is broken. 

"Were you even paying attention? Useless… staring at a bunch of old pictures."

Felix’s eyes seem to glint in the low light. They fix on Dimitri for a moment, the pair of them staring at each other wordlessly. It drowns out whatever allure the paintings may have, his desire fixated entirely on Felix. He daren’t breathe, lest it break the spell. There are no sounds from the party anymore, nothing to fill the silence that has fallen between them. Dimitri feels his hand begin to slip out of Felix’s, but he doesn't dare move, unwilling to interrupt whatever this is.

In the end, he doesn’t have to. Felix is the one to move, jerking away as his hand drops back to his side. He looks down at his feet, then at the wall, anywhere but Dimitri. It’s cruel for such a moment to be over so soon.

"We should—" Dimitri coughs and clears his throat. "We should make our way to the others."

A pause. Felix stands transfixed, his gaze fixated on the portrait next to them.

"Felix, are you—"

"These figures look too familiar. How perplexing."

He’s right. As Dimitri turns, he feels that same intoxicating desire to stare at the wall once more, but any sense of relief at doing so quickly turns to confusion as he notices the figures Felix must have been referring to. 

One tall and blonde, a furred cape wrapped around broad shoulders; the other short and lithe, dark navy hair blowing in the wind. They’re locked in combat, weapons pointed towards each other and it’s _wrong_ , they shouldn’t be fighting, they _can’t_ be fighting. He tries to rip his gaze away, to look anywhere but the painting and those far too familiar figures but the pull is too great. Dimitri can’t even turn to look at Felix, to see if he, too, is transfixed, if he can see themselves in this portrait the same way Dimitri can.

"I know Claude promised a proper party, but this is too far. Making paintings of all the guests, it’s too extravagant."

A voice of reason to cut through Dimitri’s panic. He takes a shuddering breath and dares to look towards Felix, who seems nothing beyond slightly irritated. Felix seems to notice his discomfort, reaching out for his hand once more. Perhaps Felix is right, this does seem like a prank Claude would orchestrate. And besides, what other plausible explanation is there? Dimitri makes a note to commend Claude once they make it back to the others.

...Which they should have done by now, if it weren’t for the door blocking their way. It’s a heavy oak thing, more elaborate than anything else on this floor by far, and nothing like Dimitri remembers.

"It was here, I know it was." Felix turns to Dimitri. "We can’t have gone the wrong way, it must be through here."

Although the night is still young, Dimitri feels weary. The door could have looked like this before, he can’t rule it out entirely. He pushes it open, letting Felix walk in before him; the noise of surprise that echoes off the walls doesn’t give Dimitri hope that they’ve found their exit. 

And they haven’t. Instead, they’ve walked into some kind of gallery. Two suits of armour stand guard over a door at the opposite end of the room, the moonlight glancing off their helmets. Weapons line the walls—lances, swords, even an axe or two. They almost seem to glow, though it must be a trick of the light. Dimitri would rather not stick around to find out.

[Dimitri notices the sword.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507775)

OR

[Felix notices the sword.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27534583)

**Author's Note:**

> The links to the next segments will be posted Nov 12th-16th, when they've been uploaded to ao3 by their authors!
> 
> Good luck, and thank you for reading!  
> ([my twitter](https://twitter.com/possiblevoid))


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